1990s Gianni Versace Asymmetric Gown with Lace Cutouts
View Similar Items
1990s Gianni Versace Asymmetric Gown with Lace Cutouts
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: M (US)Bust: 37 in (93.98 cm)Waist: 31 in (78.74 cm)Hip: 40 in (101.6 cm)Shoulder to Hem: 56 in (142.24 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Water Mill, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU511261946
Gianni Versace
The signature extravagance of legendary fashion designer Gianni Versace — forever aligned with glamour, sex, celebrity and spectacle — can overshadow the Italian couturier’s broad and deep engagement with history and culture. More than any designer before him, Versace mined celebrity, music and Pop art for inspiration, and his subversive, maximalist and unabashedly seductive designs infused high fashion with an entirely new ethos.
“I don’t believe in good taste,” Versace once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life. Today, vintage Gianni Versace clothing, handbags and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant.
Gianni Versace was born in Calabria, Italy. His mother was a successful dressmaker who employed more than 40 seamstresses. As a child, little Gianni marveled at her workshop, which would become a university of sorts, where he learned the exceptional construction techniques that were at the foundation of his creative expression. In 1972, at age 25, he moved to Milan to work in fashion. He launched his first collection — and his label — in 1978, with his older brother Santo managing the business concerns. Soon, sister Donatella, whom Gianni dressed and took to discos when she was still a child, joined the family venture, where she had a creative role and managed enormously popular ready-to-wear lines such as Versus.
Vintage Versace has become catnip for modern fashion enthusiasts who seek out the now-iconic house codes that originated in the designs of the 1980s and 1990s. His glamorous and seductive apparel — the clingy skirts and slender, strappy party dresses, as well as the erotic magazine ads that publicized them — looms large, but Versace’s art and historical influences were also vast.
Versace was an art collector, and he took on commissions to create costumes for theatrical performances during the 1980s and spoke of looking to numerous cultures for inspiration. The New York Times noted in 1997 that the fashion industry “is now driven by contemporary culture because Mr. Versace made it that way.” Insiders consider his 1991/1992 Autumn/Winter runway show — which featured supermodels Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista lip-synching George Michael’s “Freedom” — as the moment when the two worlds of fashion and pop culture became one, changing both forever.
Versace's adventurous spirit of design resulted in his creating jewel-toned prints rooted in Grecian motifs, Etruscan symbols, the Italian Baroque and Andy Warholʼs Marilyn Monroe. There were slinky dresses in Oroton, his patented chain-mail textile that draped like satin, and leather bondage ensembles. Sex sold, for both women and men. Wrote the late curator Richard Martin, “[Versace] became the standard-bearer of gay men’s fashion because he eschewed decorum and designed for desire.”
Following Versace’s tragic murder in 1997, Donatella took over the role of artistic director and continued to evolve the house codes with a twist of her feminine and feminist perspective. Today, Santo Versace is chief executive officer of Versace and Donatella is its chief creative officer.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Gianni Versace evening dresses, handbags, day dresses and more on 1stDibs.
- 1950s Cage Back DressLocated in Water Mill, NYA great black dress with a bateau neckline, short sleeves and small vertical straps draping in the bodice back. It has a straight skirt with a back vent and an attached belt. The dre...Category
1950s American Day Dresses
- Tom Ford for Yves St Laurent Lace up Safari Dress SS 2002By Tom Ford, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous fine black polished cotton dress by Tom Ford for Yves St. Laurent. As a nod to St. Laurent's notable 1968 safari collection it has ...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
- I. Magnin Linen 1960s Dress with Cut out WaistBy I Magnin and CoLocated in Water Mill, NYA great black 1960s linen dress from I.Magnin. It is sleeveless with a peter pan collar and princess seaming for a terrific fit. There is a panel around the waist with small prong set rhinestone embellished cut outs at the center front and the skirt has slightly gathered. The dress is lined in black silk, has a black painted back zipper and a removeable bow tie at the waist cut outs. Fits sizes Extra Small, Small. Marked US vintage...Category
1960s American Day Dresses
$275 Sale Price59% Off - Renato Balestra Silk Dress 1990sBy Renato BalestraLocated in Water Mill, NYA great black silk damask dress from Renato Balestra with a subtle pattern of tiny dots throughout. It has a square cut plunging neckline and a blac...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
$575 Sale Price25% Off - Stella McCartney Gown with Cut out WaistBy Stella McCartneyLocated in Water Mill, NYA gorgeous black stretch bandage dress from Stella McCartney. It has a crew neckline, cut in shoulders and is fitted through the hips. There are mesh covered cut outs on the sides ...Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
$775 Sale Price67% Off - Karl Lagerfeld Beaded Silk Dress 1990sBy Karl LagerfeldLocated in Water Mill, NYA gorgeous navy silk dress with beautifully beaded circles and lines in clear and burgundy glass beads from Karl Lagerfeld. It skims the body and has small shoulder straps, a low ba...Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier JPG Soleil Golden Eagle Hawk Kendall Jenner Skirt Top SetBy Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil, Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRJean Paul Gaultier JPG Soleil Vintage Japanese Golden Eagle Koi Fish Kendall Jenner Wave Yellow Mesh Sheer Transparent Wrap T-shirt Skirt Top Dress Golden Japanese Eagle...Category
1990s Maxi Dresses
$1,987 Sale Price30% OffFree Shipping - Chanel black wool dress pre fall 2011 Paris Byzance FR 46By ChanelLocated in Rubiera, RECHANEL Pre-fall 2011 PARIS BYZANCE Métiers d'Art Look 11/67 Black wool jersey dress embellished with 6 jewel ornaments. Size FR 46 Made in France 100% wool ...Category
2010s French Cocktail Dresses
- Lanvin long velvet dress 60s/70sBy Lanvin ParisLocated in Rubiera, RELANVIN 22. Faubourg St. Honoré _ PARIS 60s/70s Long printed velvet dress with large shocking pink and ruby red roses on a brown and gray background Round ne...Category
1970s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Christian Dior by John Galliano blue open-knit sleeveless bodycon dress, ss 2000By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior blue open-knit bodycon dress ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Crew neck ▪ Knee-length ▪ Various knitted techniques used to create a shredded appearance to the fabric ▪...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia navy knitted virgin wool bodycon hooded dress, fw 1986By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GB▪ Azzedine Alaia knitted virgin wool dress ▪ Single zip fastening circles the body starting at the right hip and ending at the left breast ▪ Integral hood with scarf ending on one si...Category
1980s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Miu Miu by Miuccia Prada green wool fleece slip dress with crystals, ss 1998By Miu Miu, PradaLocated in London, GB▪ Miu Miu wool fleece slip dress ▪ Designed by Miuccia Prada ▪ Allover flat-back crystals ▪ Lace-up ties to the front opening ▪ Loose fit ▪ Fully line...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns